Overhead door



J. H. BURR VERHEAD Doon Filed Aug. 2, 1943 4 BY IJau-1N H. BURR ATTQRNEY.

in the fully open position;

Patented Nov. 23, V1943 ,PATENT fome 1 onrrtlnmij @Doon *.Ihn'Hf-Burn Denver, Colo. Y k.Aminanon.August 2, 1942 sensing. .491.1% `s claims. co1. Vrco-5192) vThis .invention relates .to .an .overhead door, -and has ,for its Eprincipal object the provision Vof .a simple and highly efficient overhead door mech- .anism in which all '.tracks, rollers, guides, etc.

will Fbe eliminated, and which zit .will ,not `ne :necessary Vfor the user to 'do .any lifting whatsoever.

@ther-.obj ects Iand :advantages residedn the idetail :con-struction fof the iinvention,y which .is udev- :signed .for simplicity, peconomywand -eiciencyJ do .These will :become more-apparent Ifrom the iol- :low-ing description.

.In the ,following detailed-descriptionof the .in- 1vention reference is fhad tor-the @accompanying .drawing which dorms a part hereof. .Like .nu-.1

merals refer to like par-.ts .in `al1 views -oi .the .drawing .and .throughout the idescription.

In the drawing: v

Fig. l .is Ya vertical section 'through the ,im-

`.proved door., .illustrating `it in .the .Closed position; .f

iFig. .2 is u a .similar .section illustrating .inter- .mediate rpositions .of the door;

Fig. '.3 is 4a .similar section illustrating the .door

Fig. f4 is-an .inside 'face view door.;

Figsf and 6 are `enlarged. sections through lthe edge ofthe door, taken on .the`lines15-f-li, andv 'iS- 5, Fig. 4, respectively; and

Fig.`7 is a detail view illustrating a method .of

connecting the .springs and pull rods ofj'the 'improved door.

YIn 'the drawing, a typical vdoor frame cated at 'Ill with its lintel a't lI I.

l'is indi- The improved door 'is formed llin 'two sections,

of the .improved by'means of nsuitalole hinges I'A, 'and are suspended Y `from the "top of 'the door .framefllor 'from the `lintel I I, upon suitable suspension hinges I'5 vlliich are placed "on ithe outside T ace Avoi *the door and secured vto {the upper edge `oi the upper door 4section I3.

A link -bar le is @hinged amis flower Iextremiw at each `side Vof rthe lowe'rse'ctionV I'2 `upon suitable lower pivot bolts 1H. 'The upper extremities Aof the link pars "I6 are hingedto y'the sidesA of the door -trarne |10 upon ysuitable upper pivot bolts I8.

Tension springs I9 extend -i-nwardlyand down- -wardly from suitable attachments at :the Kupper :corners-of the `frame IB on the inside face of the door. These springs terminate l-in pull rods '2-8 which vare hingedly `connected to the ulower `sec-- tion 122 of the :door =upon suitableeye-bo'lts 2li or f A tension, therein can'be made to .cause 'both.springs to .pull equally so .as to .offset .thethrust of each oitherinv a .latera'l .direction to prevent .binding 'or cramping of the door. ).One of the` methods .of

"attachment Vis illustrated inig. 7, wherein the 4rods 2l) .arethreaded'into a spring plate '2.I whidh 'engages the lower `turn of the spring. A'lock nut '22 locks thespring plate 'in :any `desired position vonthercd. Any suitable stop means will heemjplQyed lforstopping-the'door in. its closed'position :To seal the door at the slides to prevent .the `entrance-'of drafts, an iangle 'stop member 22. is positioned-inside the door Iframe Ill at each vside thereof so as to Contact the inside 'face of the lower portionof '-the lower section '12. -An overlapping fstrip '34 `is secured to *the side vedgesof T'the `'upper 'section 1:3, 4and the upper yportion 'of 'the llower section fI2, so that, *when vthe door `is closed, the Aoverlapping 'strip will cover the space .loetween fthe =door and its Trame, as shown in .iriggj Thefangle stop` member 22 will vperform fa similarifunction forthelower y`section o'f the tdoor, fas shown `iin Fig f6.

When the door is in the closedposition, "(Fig. `1') zthe .springs 1I9 fwill be lexerting 'their :greatest tension.' tlu's '.p'osition, fhowever, 'the links JI-'I a-re1past 1,their :dead fcenters, "that is, "the springs are :acting von "the zinside of the "upper .pivot 'bolts 18 :so the door is naturallyheld .2in the position of Fig. 1. To open the door, it is only necessary .for :the operator to p ushthe Aupper iportion ofthe @lower section I-2 rstraight outwardly. This :carries the springs to the outside of the upper pivot .bolts I.8 where .they-.can now `exert `an 'upward .action 4on .the door. fl-*his .upward :action causes the .links i6 to rotate outwardly fand upwardly, as shownin Eig. .2, .until rthe-.coaction'of the links IB and vthe .upper .section .L3 .causes zthe lower .section I2 'to swing to .a .horizontal .overhead posi-- tion, as shown 'inFig .3. Y

At this time, therforeshortened .springs are exerting very 'Ilittle tension. However, .they are supporting-practically no weight andare only acting 'to `hold the upper extremities lof the links Iii inwardly *to the position of Fig. i3. When inthe llatter position, the `weight of Vthe door sections on the outside ofthe frame is greater than the weight on the inside thereof, so that the natural tendency is to maintain the horizontal position with the links acting as a fulcrum.

To close the door, it is only necessary to give a short pull downwardly on the lower edge of the lower section I2. This quickly swings all of the weight of the entire assembly to the outside of the frame I so that it will descend under the cushioning action of the springs I6 to the position ofFig.1. i' z When properly balanced, a very slight outward push causes the door to automatically movey 1 1 to the positionof Fig. 3, and a very slight downward pull causes'the door to return to the position of Fig. 1.

The position of the lower pivot bolts I'I is very I e important. If these bolts were placed further down on the lower section, the links I6k would swing to a more vertical position in Fig. 3, causing the excess weight on the outside of the frame to tend to swing the two portionsV I I and I2 down- Yward when open. As illustrated, any tendency of the double outside door vportion of Fig. 3 to move downward isY offset by` an upward reaction `against, the top of the door frame. Therefore, the

proportionate spacing of the elements is essential.

VIt has been found thatthe most ecient proportions for this door are: to have the upperportion II slightly in excess of one-half the width v of the lower portion I 2; -to have theV distance between the top ofthelower portion I2 and the bolts I I slightly less than one-half thevwidthv of the portion I2; to have the length of the links I5 slightly less than one-half the width of the Yportion I2; and to have the attachment bolts 2| positioned closer to the upper edge of the lower section I2 than the pivot bolts I'I so that slight lifting action is obtained in the open position of Fig. 3.r Any proportional arrangement other than the above destroys the efiiciency'of the door.

It isdesired to call attention to the fact that there are no slides, guides, or tracks employed in the improved door; that most of the operating space requiredis on the outside of the door, where it will not interfere with the interior storage; and that the lower edge of the door does not move inwardly until it has reached a position above the half-way point so it will not strike an automobile or other equipment in closely spaced relation to the door.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims,

without departing from the spirit of the inven- Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

. 1. The combination with a door frame of an upper door section;hinges suspending the upper section from the top of the frameon the exterior face thereof; a lower'door section; hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door to a hinged connection on the inner face of the lower door section; a hinged link at each side of said door, each of said links being pivoted at one extremity on the side of said frame; and at its other extremity pending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means -extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door to a hinged connection on the inner face of the lower door section; a hinged link at each side Y of' said door, each of said links being pivoted at one extremity on the side of said frame; and at its other extremity on the side edge of the lower dool` section, the hinge point between said links and said door frame being positioned above the horizontal center line of the lower door section.

3. The combination with a door frame of an upper door section; hinges ,suspending the upper Y.section from the top of' theframe'on the ex-Y terior face thereof; a lower door section; hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section,l said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door to a hinged connection on the inner face ofthe lower door section; a hinged link at each side of said door, each of said links being pivoted at onefex'- tremity on the side of said frame; and at its other extremity on the side edge o f the lower door section, the hinge point of said links tothe door being positioned above the horizontal center line of the lower door section.

4. The combination with a door frame of an upper door section; hinges suspending the upper ,section from the top of the frame on the exterior face'thereof; a lower door section; hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door to a hinged Connection on the inner face of the Vlower door section; a hinged link at each side of saidV line of the lower ,door section.Y

5. The combination with a ,doorl frame of an upper door section; hinges suspending the upper section from the top ofthe frame Von the links being positioned above the horizontal center i exterior face thereof; a lower door section;`

hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door to a hinged connection on the inner `face of the l lower door section; a hingedvlink at eachy side of said door, each of said links being pivoted at one extremity on the side of said frame, and at its other extremity on the side edge of the lower A door section, there being two of said spring means extending inwardly from adjacent the upper corners of said frame and crossing each other at the center of the door before reaching their attachment points on the lowerv door section. y

6. The combination with a door frame of an upper door section; hinges suspending the upper section from the top of the framev on Vthe exterior Vface thereof; a lower door section; hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hingesbeing positioned on the interior face of saiddoor; tension spring means extending from the topof said frame downwardly on theinner face of said door to a hinged connection on the inner face of the lower door section; a hinged link at each side of said door, each of said links being pivoted at one extremity on the side of said frame. and at its other extremity on the side edge of the lower door section, there being two `of said spring means extending inwardly from adjacent the upper corners of said frame and crossing each other at' the 'center of the door before vreaching their lower attachment points on the lower door section, the lower attachment points of said spring means being above the horizontal center line of the lower door section.

7. The combination with adoor frame of an upper door section; hinges suspending the upper hinged connection on the inner face or the .lower door section; a hinged link at each side of said'door, each of saidvlinks being `pivot'ed at one extremity on the side of said frame; and at Cil ' face v thereof;

section from the top of the frame on the ex-v terior face thereof; a lower doorsection; hinges suspending the lower door section fromv the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; tension spring means extending from the top of said frame downwardly on the inner face of said door `to a its other extremity on the side edge of the lower door section, the Vertical width Yof the Vupper door section exceeding one-half the vertical width of the lower door section.

8. The combinationwith a door frame of an upper door section; hinges suspending the upper section'from the top of the frame on the exterior a lower door section; hinges suspending the lower door section from the upper door section, said hinges being positioned on the interior face of said door; a tension spring secured at each upper corner of said door frame on the interior side of said door; a pull rod extending frorn the lower extremity of each spring, the pull rods crossing each other at the -center of said door; and hinged attachment means for saidrods positioned cnthe inner face ofthe lower door section above the horizontal center,l

Vline thereof; a hinged link at each side of said door; rst pivot means pivoting each link by an end thereof to the side of said door frame at apoint forwardly oi the upper attachment points of saidsprings and above the lower door section; second pivot rneansl attaching the other extremities cisaid links at vthe side edges of said lower door section at points above the horirontalV center line of said lower door section.

JOHN H. BURR. 

